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A review by katemc7
Phantasma by Kaylie Smith
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book was PHENOMENAL!! It kept popping up on my feed so I decided to see what all the fuss was about and added it to my book of the month box- OMG. SOO GOOD. I fell instantly into this story. There was romance. It was dark. There was intrigue and suspense, and a deadly competition. It kind of reminded me of book one of Crowns of Nyaxia but with people with special powers vs vampires if that makes sense? I loved the setting of New Orleans and then this house that changed and moved around the world to intrigue people into the dark and dangerous game it hosted. And of course, I loved the added element of being cursed if you fall in love while in this house. Our FMC was SO STRONG. She was just coming into her necromancing powers, and her family was an old bloodline. And then we had Blackwell who was a phantom that Ophelia can't seem to stay away from. She is drawn to him unlike she has been drawn to anyone before. And of course he is vague on how he can do what he is able to do. I loved Ophelia's sister and how she wanted Ophelia to get out from under the umbrella of becoming the head necromancer of the family. She just wanted Ophelia to live a little hence this story.
Ophelia has always known that she would take up her mother's mantle whenever the day came that she passed. But she did not expect it to be so soon. She also did not expect to find out how behind they were in their bills and that they might lose the house. She doesn't know what to do. She has to provide for her sister. She has to. So when she finds a clue that her sister has up and disappeared to this contest that they have always been told to stay away from- she does what any sister would do. She goes after her which is how she has found herself in an enchanted house with nine levels that she has to make her way through without dying to be able to find her sister and then possibly win the grand prize which is to grant any wish she wants. She doesn't expect to make friends as she has been a bit of a loner recently. She really doesn't expect to meet a lover- is that what we are calling Blackwell? He is a handsome phantom that shows up to help Ophelia. He has lost his memory about how he got to where he is so now Ophelia is helping him crack that code as well. But it seems that he is willing to help her along in this maze while also stirring this simmering chemistry between them. They decide they can enjoy each other's company- who could ever know. They won't catch feelings for each other. I mean they can't or Ophelia will be cursed. But the deeper Ophelia ends up in this house, the more secrets she learns about how this whole thing started. The more she learns about her mother and her sister and her dad. The more she learns about Blackwell. And when she finds a loophole and ends up in front of the maker himself well all bets are off. Because she is going to get her wish no matter what it costs her.
I can't recommend this one enough!! The ONLY thing that bothered me was how back and forth Ophelia and Blackwell were. I was invested and ready for the spice which was absolutely electric and then they would realize what was happening between them and put up some walls. I loved the other characters- I loved the diabolicalness of this house and the levels that Ophelia had to work through to get past them. This setting sounded ridiculously cool. I can't WAIT for book 2- if you haven't picked this one up yet- what are you waiting for??
Ophelia has always known that she would take up her mother's mantle whenever the day came that she passed. But she did not expect it to be so soon. She also did not expect to find out how behind they were in their bills and that they might lose the house. She doesn't know what to do. She has to provide for her sister. She has to. So when she finds a clue that her sister has up and disappeared to this contest that they have always been told to stay away from- she does what any sister would do. She goes after her which is how she has found herself in an enchanted house with nine levels that she has to make her way through without dying to be able to find her sister and then possibly win the grand prize which is to grant any wish she wants. She doesn't expect to make friends as she has been a bit of a loner recently. She really doesn't expect to meet a lover- is that what we are calling Blackwell? He is a handsome phantom that shows up to help Ophelia. He has lost his memory about how he got to where he is so now Ophelia is helping him crack that code as well. But it seems that he is willing to help her along in this maze while also stirring this simmering chemistry between them. They decide they can enjoy each other's company- who could ever know. They won't catch feelings for each other. I mean they can't or Ophelia will be cursed. But the deeper Ophelia ends up in this house, the more secrets she learns about how this whole thing started. The more she learns about her mother and her sister and her dad. The more she learns about Blackwell. And when she finds a loophole and ends up in front of the maker himself well all bets are off. Because she is going to get her wish no matter what it costs her.
I can't recommend this one enough!! The ONLY thing that bothered me was how back and forth Ophelia and Blackwell were. I was invested and ready for the spice which was absolutely electric and then they would realize what was happening between them and put up some walls. I loved the other characters- I loved the diabolicalness of this house and the levels that Ophelia had to work through to get past them. This setting sounded ridiculously cool. I can't WAIT for book 2- if you haven't picked this one up yet- what are you waiting for??